AlphaGalileo News
Please accept our apologies for any cross-posting.
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Contents
Bi-lingual site launched 14 September
Journalists ask for more detail in releases
French support for science communication
Expert services
Site statistics
And finally...
Email addresses of the AlphaGalileo editorial team
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Bi-lingual site launched 14 September
Despite an obscure phone system that prevented access to the site, the bi-lingual upgrade to the site was launched on September 14 by Dr Michel Bernier, the new Science Counsellor at the French Embassy in London. In his speech Dr Bernier emphasised the value to all of European science from this Anglo-French initiative and looked forward to the time when other countries would join the campaign to promote European science and technology to the world.
The bi-lingual site lays the foundations for selecting alerts and views of releases on the basis of language. The URL for the site remains http://www.alphagalileo.org .
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Journalists ask for more detail from contributors
During the British Association's Festival of Science several journalists emphasised the need for greater detail in science press releases.
The notes for editors box on the posting form is able to take large amounts of text and this is the appropriate place to provide the background detail that specialist science journalists need. One journalist told us that the American-style of release with three or four pages of detail was ideal. It enabled him to judge the significance of the story better and briefed him if he needed to ring the author.
You can also use the peer-reviewed journal box to validate your release. We hope to change the caption on this to make it clear that papers given at conferences can also be described in this box.
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French support for science communication
During the Festival it was announced that the French government intend to promote science communication and the use of AlphaGalileo during their Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2000.
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Expert services
AlphaGalileo has been discussing for some time how it could best add links to the various services available around Europe that put journalists and researchers in direct contact with each other. Our intention is not to supplant the existing services but to see if there is a need to promote European expertise beyond country boundaries.
We are at present asking journalists what type of service they would prefer but before we take a final decision on approaching existing providers we will be asking contributors and the research community for their views. In the meantime if you would like to comment please do so, by email to [log in to unmask]
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Site Statistics
Figures from 6 September in brackets
On 20 September the site had:
Registered journalists: 945 (843)
Registered contributors: 604 (581)
Press notices: 1,779 (1,693)
Calendar events: 246 (236).
September has seen the busiest week ever for the site. Week beginning 6 September had 8,706 requests for pages. This is a thousand up on the previous highest total.
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And finally...
Dr Jacqueline Mitton, the Information Officer for the Royal Astronomical Society, arrived at the Advisory Group meeting with an inflatable alien. Thankfully for the British Association's phone bill the it did not want to phone home.
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Email addresses of the AlphaGalileo Editorial Team
If your message is urgent you should avoid a emailing a specific editor, who may be away from the office, and send the message to the duty Site Editor at [log in to unmask]
Peter Green (Project Director) [log in to unmask]
Alun Roberts (UK Editor) [log in to unmask]
Sabine Louët (International Coordinating Editor) [log in to unmask]
Site Editor (Duty editor) [log in to unmask]
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AlphaGalileo is the Internet-based press centre for European science, engineering and technology. Our aim is to increase awareness of the excitement and significance of European research amongst young people, industry and tax-payers via the mass media. The financial support of the UK and French governments, and some of the UK's medical charities and Research Councils is gratefully acknowledged, as is the encouragement the project is receiving from the British Association, Euroscience and members of the European Union of Science Journalists Associations.
If you are not yet registered you can find out more about the service and access all releases and event details that are out of embargo by visiting http://www.alphagalileo.org.
Peter Green
Project Director
AlphaGalileo: the Internet press centre for European science, engineering and technology
www.alphagalileo.org
peter.green @alphagalileo.org
44 1793 496200 (answer phone)
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